Select the Right Surfactant for Anti-dandruff Shampoo Formulations

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Dandruff is a common scalp condition that affects over half of all postpubertal individuals, regardless of ethnicity or gender. Dandruff is often identified by the appearance of flakes on the scalp and hair and is typically associated with itching.

The disorder often manifests itself during adulthood and is limited to the scalp where terminal hair is present. Dandruff may be minor, resembling dry skin, or severe, resembling seborrheic dermatitis.

Let's understand the causes of scalp disorders (dandruff, itching and irritation) and the role of surfactants in reducing the unwanted effects on scalp. Also, get tips to formulate anti-dandruff hair care products with PUISERIA AMC, an amino-acid based surfactant by Sanyo Chemical.

What Causes Dandruff, Itching, and Irritation on the Scalp?

The frequency of complaints regarding itching and dandruff has dramatically grown in recent years. There are many possible causes of dandruff including:

• An imbalance in the two main bacterial populations on the scalp,
• Damage to the scalp Stratum corneum,
• Individual susceptibility to Oleic acid, dry scalp, oily or irritated skin,
• Dirt accumulation due to less frequent shampooing, and
• Sensitivity to hair care products.

Other scalp disorders such as psoriasis, eczema, etc. are also possible causes of dandruff. If cationic surfactants build up on the scalp, it is also possible to develop dandruff.


In most individuals, the yeast-like fungus Malassezia furfur may be found on their scalp, where it feeds on the oils secreted by the hair follicles. The fungus Malassezia furfur is often regarded as the most common cause of dandruff. Malassezia is a fungus that may cause dandruff by one or both of the following mechanisms:

1. Malassezia increases the production of an enzyme known as Lipase on the scalp. The enzyme is responsible for the oxidation of triglycerides in sebum, which results in the production of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids.
   
   • Saturated fatty acids are used by fungus for self-proliferation and growth.
   • Unsaturated fatty acids include oleic acid and arachidonic acid, which are both found in small amounts in meat.
   Unlike oleic acid, which is an irritant to human skin, arachidonic acid is implicated in the activation of inflammatory reactions in the body. In this case, the breakdown of fatty acids results in irritation of the scalp's epidermis, inflammation, and fungal growth. These contribute to the development of dry flakes known as dandruff.


2. The second way by which this fungus causes dandruff is by interfering with the regular shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp. A few enzymes on the scalp break down the connections between dead skin cells, allowing them to be sloughed off separately. Malassezia alters the action of enzymes and prevents them from severing the links between them. This results in the agglomeration of corneocytes, which shed off in clusters, resulting in the appearance of visible white flakes.

Related Read: Learn how to protect and repair your hair using functional ingredients »

The Role of Surfactants in Reducing Unwanted Effects on Scalp

Hair and scalp oils are emulsified by surfactants, which enables the dirt to be drawn into the water and rinsed away easily. Shampooing leaves the scalp healthy and free of oily dirt, which lasts until new sebum is produced. Maintaining personal cleanliness and reducing the likelihood of scalp irritation, itching, and odor are two benefits of this practice.

Certain surfactants show bacteriostatic properties, meaning that their chemical makeup prevents dandruff-causing bacteria from growing on the scalp.

PIUSERIA AMC by Sanyo Chemical: Proven Solution against Itching and Dandruff

PIUSERIA AMC (INCI: Sodium Lauraminopropionate) is a zwitterionic surfactant manufactured by Sanyo Chemical Industries that is environmentally benign, of the amino-acid type, and exceptionally effective in a wide range of applications. It is the world's first surfactant that is efficacious in preventing dandruff and itching in clinical trials. Among its many applications is the production of shampoos and other skin- and face-cleansing products.

• In general, anionic surfactants provide the most effective foaming and cleansing qualities for cosmetic formulations. Nonetheless, they are the most irritant to the skin.
• On the other hand, a combination of amino-acid surfactants and amphoteric surfactants such as cocamidopropyl betaine are commonly used as less irritating surfactants, but their cleansing performance is less effective.

Adding PIUSERIA AMC significantly improves the cleansing performance of amphoteric surfactants formulation and exhibits both low-irritating and high-cleansing ability.

Amount of Overall Surfactant/Washing Residue Remaining on the Skin

PIUSERIA AMC is a highly biodegradable surfactant that is effective in the prevention of dandruff and itching in humans. Its mechanism of action is to reduce the amount of overall surfactant/washing residue left on the skin and hair while also reducing metabolites including sebum left on the hair that feeds the scalp's indigenous bacteria.

The adsorption test above by Sanyo Chemical Industries demonstrates that typical amino-acid surfactants alone leave a significant residue on the skin (2.5 µg/cm² in the case of Disodium cocoyl glutamate), which is why they are typically combined with amphoteric surfactants such as Cocamidopropyl betaine, which reduces the residue to 1.1 µg/cm². PIUSERIA AMC, on the other hand, decreased the residue to 0.5 µg/cm² when compared to Cocamidopropyl betaine.

Given the lower critical micelle concentration of PIUSERIA AMC, in comparison with other surfactants, including Cocamidopropyl Betaine, aggregates (micelles) in amino acid-based formulations are easily formed. This results in an important decrease in surfactant residue left on the surface of skin and hair, as well as a significant increase in the fineness of the foam. To generate aggregates in amino acid-based formulations, PIUSERIA AMC may be used in conjunction with other surfactants.

Comparing Fungal Growth of PIUSERIA AMC to Other Blends

PIUSERIA AMC is bacteriostatic, which means that it prevents the development of microorganisms that are responsible for dandruff.

• PIUSERIA AMC's propionic acid skeleton demonstrates its bacteriostatic effect by inhibiting the development of the bacteria that causes dandruff in humans.
• The PIUSERIA AMC skeleton is composed of propionic acid, which has bacteriostatic characteristics. Propionic acid is a preservative that is used in foods such as bread and baked products to keep them fresh for longer.
• The introduction of propionic acid into bacteria's cells, which interferes with the action of enzymes involved in lipid metabolism, has been shown to impede the growth of bacteria.

Addition of PIUSERIA AMC suppresses the growth of Malassezia furfurans
Based on the results presented above, shampooing with PIUSERIA AMC alone resulted in a 98% reduction in Malassezia furfur development when compared to the blend of Disodium cocoyl glutamate and Cocamidopropyl betaine (110%). The addition of 1%, 2%, and 4% PIUSERIA AMC to the blend, on the other hand, lowered the growth rate to 99%, 101%, and 100%, respectively. As a result, the addition of PIUSERIA AMC has been shown to reduce the growth of Malassezia furfur.

Suppress Itching due to the Release of Histamine

Typical anti-dandruff formulations comprise active chemicals and extracts, as well as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, and cooling compounds such as miconazole nitrate, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, and L-menthol, among others. The disadvantage of this method is that it diminishes the amount of other native microorganisms on the scalp, which is undesirable.

Since histamine, a body molecule involved in developing inflammatory reactions to allergies, is released less readily when Disodium cocoyl glutamate and PIUSERIA AMC are combined, the combination reduces itching from 100% to 80%.


The degranulation release test confirms that the addition of as little as 1% PIUSERIA AMC results in a significant decrease in itching.

Formulate Anti-dandruff Hair Care Products with PUISERIA AMC

When added to amino acid-based formulations PIUSERIA AMC acts as a performance improver, enhancing the function of the formulations, and preventing unwanted effects on the scalp.

Visit PIUSERIA AMC’s product page to learn more about how this high-performance grade can help you improve your shampoo formulations and meet the market demands for anti-dandruff products.

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